Sliding-door-operating means.



P. WHEELER. y SLIDING DOOR OPERATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1905.

Patented May 10, 1910.

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I l I l ANDREW n. GRAHAM 00., Puovommmmwm wAsmNGrDN. 0. c.

. Ma-M P. WHEELER.

SLIDING DOOR OPERATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1905.

957,284. Patented May 10, mm.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ANDREW B. GRANAM 00.. Pnufo gnnouiAFnzlis WASHINGTON u. c,

P. WHEELER.

SLIDING DOOR OPERATING MEANS. APPLIUATION EIJLED HAY 22. 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W I Wee/1%]? 7/1. 7% Rwy wkzekz ANDREW B. GRAHAM canPnOflLUTNOGRAPHERS.WASHINGTON. n. G

P. WHEELER. SLIDING DOOR OPERATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1905. v 957,234, Patented May 10, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

///I II ANDREW B- GRMMM CO IIHUTWLITNDGRAPHERS WAsHlNGTON, D- C.

. MW w m UNI ED STATES PATET UFFIQE.

PERCY WHEELER, OF OLDBURY, ENGLAND.

SLIDING-DOOR-OPERATING MEANS.

This invention consists of the herein described improved means foropening and closing the sliding doors of Pullman cars and other railwaycars and of tram cars and omnibuses and other vehicles. This inventionis so arranged that the doors can be unfastened and opened, or closedand fastened, very expeditiously and with but little exertion on thepart of the person operating them and this invention is particularlyapplicable to Pullman cars and other railway cars as it enables theattendant to unfasten and open, or to close and fasten, the slidingdoors of two adjacent cars simultaneously. As an example I will describemy invention as applied to the sliding door of a Pullman car, whichsliding door is suspended on overhead rollers or otherwise arranged inthe usual way so as to slide easily to and fro.

My invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings on which Figure1 is a front elevation of the upper part of a sliding door of a Pullmancar and a portion of the said car partly in section with my dooroperating mechanism applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a sectional sideelevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the same; Fig. 4 isa sectional side elevation of the door catch and the lever whichoperates it; Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the same partly in sectionand Fig. 6 is a sectional plan of the same.

The same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts inall the figures.

In carrying out this invention I provide in the usual recess at the endof the car or in any other convenient position a wire, cord, or chain,or the like, 2 which for distinction I will call the operating wire andwhich is arranged vertically near the side 3 of the said recess andpasses under a bottom pulley 4: and over two overhead guide pulleys 5,6, and the two ends of this wire are connected to multiplying pulleyblocks 9, 10, arranged under the roof 11 of Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed May 22, 1905.

Patented May 1t}, 1916..

Serial No. 261,609.

the car. Around these multiplying pulley blocks 9, 10 passes a wire,cord, chain, or the like, 12 which for distinction I will call thetraveling wire and which is indirectly connected as hereinafterdescribed'to the sliding door 13 and is arranged as follows: Thetraveling wire 12 is situated by preference above the sliding door 13and one end 1 1 of this wire is fixed as by the loop 15 to the bracket16 which is fixed to the car near the side 17 of the door openingagainst which the door closes, and then the traveling wire is led roundthe pulley block 9 and then round a guide roller 18 which is carried bythe bracket 16 above referred to, and then in a horizontal directionabove the top of the door 13 and round a guide pulley 19 which is fixedto the part 20 of the car frame or body into which the door 13 has toslide when it is being opened in the direction indicated by the arrowsin Fig. 3.

The traveling wire 12 after passing round the guide roller 19 is carriedback above the top of the door 13 in a horizontal direction and roundanother guide roller 21 carried by the said bracket 16 and then roundthe other pulley block 10 and the end 22 of the wire is fixed to anyconvenient part such for instance as the axle pin of the pulley 18 asshown in Fig. 2. Fixed on the two portions of the operating wire 2between the bottom pulley 1 and the overhead pulleys 5, 6, there are twohandle grips 23, 24, so arranged that when one of the handle grips, thatis the handle grip 24, is pulled down, the operating wire 2 is pulled inthe direction indi cated by the arrows in Fig. 1 thereby pulling thepulley block 9 fixed to this portion of the operating wire and movingthe traveling wire 12 in one direction and sliding the door 13 open inthe direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3. This causes the otherhandle grip 23 on the operating wire 2 to rise. When this second handlegrip 23 is pulled down the operating wire 2 moves in the oppositedirection to that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 and pulls the otherpulley block 10 fixed to the end of the traveling wire 12 therebycausing the traveling wire 12 to travel in the opposite direction tothat indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3 and to close the door 13. Thewires are kept taut by the bottom pulley 4 being made as an ordinarytension pulley with an adjusting screw 25 and nut 26 or other suitableappliance.

wire 12 to open the door 13 in acting through the lever 27 lifts thecatch 28 and unfastens the door and when the door is by the travelingwire moved from its opened to its closed position the door is fastenedclosed by the catch 28. This fastening and unfastening mechanism isillustrated on a larger scale by Figs. at, 5 and 6.

The object of using the multiplying pulley blocks 9, 10, is to obtainthe necessary long travel of the traveling wire 12 and slidingdoor 13with a smaller movement of the handle grips 23, 2 1, as the pulleyblocks 9,

-10 increase the movement as two to one so that the handle grips 23, 24,only move half the distance covered by the sliding door 13. Thisarrangement I find to work well in practice but it is to be understoodthat if desired multiplying pulley blocks may be used which will give amovement of more than two to one.

WV hat I claim as my invention and desire tosecure by Letters Patent isl l. A device for opening and closing slid ingdoors of railway cars andother vehicles, comprising a lower pulley and a pair of upper pulleys, atraveling flexible element passing around the lower pulley and havingboth ends passing over the upper pulleys, a multiplying pulley connectedto eachend of said flexible element, a substantially horizontaltraveling flexible element having one end secured to a stationary partand passing around one of the mutiplying pulleys, a pair of stationarypulleys arranged at one side of the door, said traveling flexibleelement after leaving the multiplying pulley passing around thestationary pulleys at one side of the door and then around the pulley atthe other side of the door, then around the other stationary pulley atthe other side of the door, then around the other multiplying pulley,and having its end fastened to a stationary part, and means forconnecting said horizontal traveling flexible element to the door.

2. An apparatus for opening and closing sliding doors of railway carsand other vehicles, comprising a substantially horizontal travelingflexible element arranged above the door and extending in two parallellines, and having. its ends connected to a stationary part, meansforconnecting said flexible element with the door, a vertically arrangedoperating, flexible element extending in two vertical lines, pulleys forguiding. said flexible elements, and multiplying pulleys secured totheends of the operating flexible element and over which the travelingflexi ble element passes.

3. An apparatus for opening and closing sliding doors of railway cars,comprising a horizontally arranged traveling flexible element having itsends secured to stationary.

parts and arranged in two parallel lines, pulleys for guiding saidtraveling flexible element, means for connect-ing said flexible elementto the door, means for unlocking the door by said connecting means,avertically arranged ope "ating flexible element extending in twoparallel lines, pulleys for guiding said operatingflexible element, anda multiplying pulley connected to each end of said operating flexibleelement and over which the traveling flexible element passes.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

PERCY IVHEELER. lVitnesses CHARLES BOSWORTI-I KELLE THOMAS J OHN Rown.

